Grace and Peace to You!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

ESPN sports radio has a signature imperative at the end of their news update: tune in, log in, join in. Guess what? It is a good idea! As we begin the church season of Lent (a lengthening of days; 40 days before Easter), together we are called to tune in.

As Jesus made his way to the cross, he implored his followers to TUNE IN to God’s way, truth, and life. He told his friend Mary, “There is need of only ONE thing.” And in the Hebrew songbook, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Another task is for us to LOG IN. We can push a button to log onto the World Wide Web. Lent is a time to LOG IN to God’s Wi-Fi—to pay attention to God’s revelation all around us; to let God’s Word fall afresh; to testify to God’s activity in our lives—to share the Gospel.

A third opportunity during Lent is to JOIN IN! We are beginning a study of the Gospel of John on Thursdays. Beginning March 10, we will meet for fellowship at 9:30 and begin the study at 10:00. We will watch an artful DVD introducing the text and then have our own conversation. Small group study is a great way to build relationships as we learn.

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13).I rejoice at sharing Lent with you, Lucia

Friday, January 07, 2011

Draw me close to YouNever let me goI lay it all down againTo hear You say that I'm Your friend

You are my desireNo one else will do'Cause nothing else could take Your placeTo feel the warmth of Your embraceHelp me find the wayBring me back to You

You're all I wantYou're all I've ever neededYou're all I wantHelp me know You are near http://artists.letssingit.com/hillsong

At the dawning of this New Year, as we set our priorities, may we focus on our relationship with God through Christ Jesus our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. This resetting bears Good News. No matter what we face in 2011, as Paul reminds us, we do not face it alone:

If God is for us, who is against us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31, 35, 37-9

What is the one thing we can control? The amount of energy and time we put into our God-relationship. We know God is ever-present, but also, at times, easily ignored. We do ourselves no favors by ignoring or not fostering that relationship. Do whatever it takes for you to DRAW CLOSER. Mark through time on your calendar for God, so you won’t give away that time to other things. Find a comfy couch or a place outside that you can draw closer. Meditate on the above Scripture passage and song. Look for more passages that deepen your relationship with God, that make you think, that make you go deeper still.

I wish for you a Beautiful New Year and, as my son used to say, a Happy New You!

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

d365.org is a devotional website that has a word for us this day! A few years ago my brother-in-law recommended it to me. The daily devotional format is as follows. It strikes me as a resolute way to be a faith-filled follower of God:

Pause Listen Think Pray Go

1. Teach us to slow down, to PAUSE to hear God: we often do all the talking and forget to listen!2. Oh, here we go, LISTEN to God, urging, pleading, inspiring, nudging, gracing, calling, attending, comforting, and much more. Sometimes God has a still, small voice; sometimes, a loud thunder! 3. Encourage us to THINK. As I often heard growing up, “God gave you a brain, you should use it!” 4. PRAY! And don’t leave it as a final option when we are desperate for God (although that is a fine time to pray as well!) Pray first, middle, and last or as Paul said it better: “Pray without ceasing!” (I Thessalonians 5:17) 5. As Jesus said, “GO!”…you are set free, now do something about it! Go and tell; go and do; go and be my disciple; GO!

Loving God, encourage us in our walk with you and one another that we might—